Business Models add another layer to how you prioritize Company Signals on Specter. Every company is now tagged with up to three Business Models, so you can filter by how a company actually generates revenue not just what it sells or who it sells to.
Using the Filter
Under the Add Filters tab in Company Signals, you will find the Business Models dropdown under Sector, which allows you to choose from the following categories:
Business Model Taxonomy:
Business Model | Definition |
SaaS (Software-as-a-Service) | Recurring revenue for access to cloud-based software or digital platforms. |
Subscription (Non-Software) | Recurring revenue for physical goods, asset leasing, or real-world access (e.g., ISPs, gyms, subscription boxes, REITs) |
Product Sales | Revenue from the one-off sale of physical goods, whether via e-commerce or brick-and-mortar retail. |
Marketplace / Brokerage | Taking a commission or transaction fee for connecting buyers and sellers. |
OEM | Manufacturing, designing, or acting as the primary OEM for physical machines, electronics, or infrastructure. |
Usage-Based / Pay-as-you-go | Charging dynamically based on exact consumption (compute, API calls, data storage). |
Financial Services / Interchange | Revenue from moving money (interchange), lending (interest), or managing capital (AUM fees). |
Advertising / Attention | Monetising a free or subsidised user base by selling their attention/data to third-party advertisers. |
Licensing / White-label | Selling the rights to use proprietary IP, patents, or deep-tech infrastructure under another brand's name. |
Professional Services / Implementation | Revenue driven by human capital—consulting, custom development, agency work, or physical installations. |
Lead Generation / Affiliate | Earning finder's fees or commissions by driving traffic/leads to other businesses, without facilitating the final transaction. |
Franchising | Selling the rights to a business system and brand in exchange for an upfront fee and ongoing royalties. |